Biological oceanography

A toxic toasty blob: warm water in the Pacific provides a happy home for poisonous algae

A warm blob at the ocean surface, fishery closures, and unhappy marine mammals – what do all these things have…

Biochemistry Biological oceanography Chemistry Climate Change Modeling

Eat Organic at Your Local Gyre Margin

Paper: Letscher, Robert T., et al. 2016. Nutrient budgets in the subtropical ocean gyres dominated by lateral transport. Nature Geoscience, v.9:…

Biological oceanography

Microbes: The original organic cleaning agents

Natural and human caused leakage of oil into the environment is commonplace throughout the world. Scientists are learning how microbes…

Biological oceanography Biology Climate Change Sea Ice

Positive real estate outlook for Antarctic krill

An Australian research team predict future sea-ice habitats for Antarctic krill larvae, and are surprised to find more suitable ice…

Behavior Biological oceanography

The physics of tiny jellyfish hunting

Tiny jellyfish live, swim, and eat in a viscous environment. How they capture their food is something of a mystery.…

Biological oceanography Biology Climate Change

Tiny but tough: calcification in marine phytoplankton

Coccolithophores stand out from other marine phytoplankton in their ability to form calcified plates. Why is it beneficial for coccolithophores…

Behavior Biological oceanography Biology Book Review Developmental Biology Evolution

Killer whale pods: hunting dynamics

Killer whale pods spend almost all of their time together, with the exception of when they hunt. Why are they…

Behavior Biological oceanography Biology Book Review Climate Change Developmental Biology Genetics

Cool Fact! Octopuses spawn with ease when temperatures are lower

Octopuses in the YP may experience temperature changes that do not bode well for reproduction. At what point will the…

Biological oceanography Book Review Climate Change Harmful Algal Bloom Human impacts Invasive Species

Aliens attack: Predicting the spread of marine invasive species

Species invasions have become serious issues in the marine environment, mostly as a result of increased ship traffic. Once a…

Biological oceanography Book Review Climate Change Ecology Microbiology

Wasting Away in Virus-ville

Sea star wasting disease still plagues the U.S. West Coast, but clues to its nature are being uncovered. Find out…

Biological oceanography Biology Conservation Ecology Fisheries Human impacts

Earth Week: Overview on Overfishing

We rely heavily on the oceans as a source of food. Unfortunately, fish populations have declined by over 50 percent…

Biological oceanography Book Review Sea Ice

Plankton fill up ice-free summer homes

Source: Li, Y., R. Ji, S. Jenouvrier, M. Jin, and J. Stroeve (2016), Synchronicity between ice retreat and phytoplankton bloom…

Behavior Biological oceanography

What’s up with Whiskers?

Whiskers are like finger tips for flipper-footed marine mammals, like seals, sea lions, and walruses. Learn more about how pinnipeds…

Biological oceanography Climate Change Glaciers Sea Ice

Hope Floats: how icebergs are fighting climate change

An iceberg couldn’t help Leo win an Oscar, but new research highlights how icebergs may help battle climate change. Read…

Biological oceanography Biology Climate Change Fisheries

The Codfathers: Holding the Keys to Success in Warming Oceans

Atlantic cod stocks have struggled to recover from overfishing for decades. Warming oceans will make a cod recovery even more…

Biological oceanography Noise

In the Heart of the Sea: Following the Song of Humpback Whales to Study Migration

Every year, humpback whales journey across the ocean. Using passive acoustics to study whale song, scientists are able to follow…

Biological oceanography Book Review

KaBLOOM! How do volcanic eruptions stimulate plankton growth and fish production?

Article: Kearney, K.A., D. Tommasi, and C. Stock. 2015. Simulated ecosystem response to volcanic iron fertilization in the subarctic Pacific…

Atmosphere science Atmospheric Chemistry Atmospheric Science Behavior Biochemistry Biological oceanography Book Review Climate Change Conservation Developmental Biology Human impacts Pollution Toxicology

Mercury at elevated levels observed in only some elephant seals, but why?

Mercury: we know it from old-school thermometers and we know if from sushi; and now we know that the distribution…

Biological oceanography

There’s a storm coming, Plankton. And we all best be ready when she does.

Oceanographers have long known that large storms cause changes in the near-shore ocean environment. But how those changes effect the…

Biological oceanography Ecology

Eating Snow: How detritus gets broken down

Marine snow is a critical part of the ocean ecosystem. Much of this carbon rich matter ends up in the…